The Programme for Workers’ Activities is the training arm of the Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV) of the ILO. The Programme responds to the training needs of workers' organizations through courses, materials, projects and advisory services.

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It is the largest international labour education programme in the world and offers free training opportunities to leaders, senior activists and technical staff of workers' organizations.

The Programme runs:

residential training courses in Turin

follow-up seminars and training activities that assess the impact of its activities, as well as providing further advanced training

international labour standards and the use of the ILO supervisory system

implementation of the Social Justice Declaration and the Decent Work Agenda

employment and development policies and poverty-reduction strategies

social protection and occupational safety and health, with a focus on HIV-AIDS

social dialogue

collective bargaining and organizing

gender and women workers' rights

training of trainers and training methodology

the use of information technology by trade unions.

The Secretary of the Workers' Group of the ILO Governing Body plays a central role in choosing the organizations eligible to send participants to the activities. No participant is enrolled directly in the activities without going through that process.

The Programme has developed a set of computer communication tools known as SoliComm, Solidarity Communications. It uses them for pre-course orientation and post-course follow-up. Moreover, labour organizations can use them for building networks, organizing educational activities, conducting campaigns and more. They encompass e-mail, mailing lists, computer conferencing, websites and an e-library.

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Upcoming Courses

Trade union training on enhancing rights and social protection for migrant workers

My name is Judermi T. García Betancourt and I work for the Regional Executive of Carabobo State, Venezuela. I have worked in the civil service for many years. In 2005, I was elected by my peers to be Secretary-General of the Union of Public Employees of Carabobo State. Read More

Still riding the crest of the wave!

Daniela Klein, an official at the Centre in Turin, continues her sporting triumphs. Read More

The ILO Director-General addresses ACTRAV-Turin participants at a training workshop in Beijing

During his visit to China, Mr Guy Ryder, Director-General of the ILO, dropped in to greet trade union representatives from nine Asian countries participating in a training workshop on 'Wage-led, Job-rich Recovery from Crisis” in Beijing.Read More

The ILO estimates that there are still 215 million children caught in child labour, of whom 115 million are exposed to hazardous work, a measure of which is often used as a proxy for the worst forms of child labour. These estimates show that the problem of child labour is still immense. Its elimination requires a concerted effort by governments, international organizations, employers, workers, NGOs, local communities, the children themselves and their parents.

The ILO estimates that between 25 and 30 per cent of the world's growing labour force is unemployed or under-employed. This is a major cause of poverty. In addition, 500 million women and men work for less than US$ 1 per day, many of them in micro-enterprises in the informal economy.

The ILO estimates that at least 20.9 million persons worldwide are victims of forced labour, trapped in exploitative work which they are unable to leave, suffering at the hands of unscrupulous employers, labour contractors or agents. They may be victims of trafficking into commercial sexual exploitation. More often, they are working in "mainstream" economic sectors like agriculture, construction or informal manufacturing, frequently labouring under the burden of a debt which they can never repay.

Our training concerning HIV and AIDS focuses on workplace policies and programmes, prevention and social protection. The workplace offers an entry point from which to reach young and adult populations, because nine out of ten people living with HIV are adults in their productive prime.

International labour standards (ILS) are legal instruments that establish basic minimum social standards agreed upon by governments, employers and workers. ILS cover all matters related to work and are backed up by a supervisory system designed to deal with all sorts of problems in their application at the national level.

Workplaces are responsible for more than 2.3 million deaths per year, of which 350,000 are fatal accidents and nearly 2 million are due to work-related diseases. ILO seeks to create international awareness of this situation and stimulate and support practical action at all levels, to promote the adoption of international labour standards by Member States, and to improve the capacity of tripartite constituents to design and implement policies that provide prevention and protection against work-related accidents and diseases.

The ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No.202) reaffirms the universal right to access to essential services, in particular health and social protection benefits with a view to preventing or alleviating poverty, vulnerabilities, and social exclusion, and preserving the dignity of all members of a society, including older persons. However, global estimates show that only 25% of people have adequate social protection coverage.

Education and training are among the major functions of workers' organizations throughout the world. Training members and officials is essential to strengthening the organization and improving its functions and services for members. The involvement of workers' organizations in an increasing number of social and economic issues makes workers' education and training even more vital to strengthening those organizations' capacity and enabling them to represent the interests of working people better.